West Ham – Liverpool : Preview & Prediction
West Ham capped a magical week that saw them reach a European semi-final in style by beating relegation battling Bournemouth 4-0 last time out to open up a six-point gap over the bottom three in the Premier League (PL) standings. It was a true team performance from David Moyes’ side that saw eight different players score or assist, the most in a PL match for the club.
The Hammers return to the London Stadium in fine form, having lost just once in their last ten matches in all competitions (G6, E3). They will now look to record back-to-back PL wins for the second time this season, which will be a difficult task when they receive the visit of Liverpool, considering that only two of West Ham’s last 20 matches against opponents starting the day in the top half of the table ended in victories (E5, P13).
That task becomes even more difficult when you consider that Liverpool are unbeaten in 12 of their last 13 meetings with each other (G10, E2), although that lone defeat came at this venue last season. That record against West Ham bodes well for manager Jürgen Klopp, who said that “things have changed” after his team won back-to-back PL games, most recently beating Nottingham Forest 3-2.
Prior to that, the “Reds” kicked off their recovery with an emphatic 6-1 win at home to Leeds, equaling the amount of goals they had scored in their previous 11 away games (G2, E2, P7). As a result, they have dragged themselves back into contention for European competition, although there is still work to be done to salvage anything tangible from the season, as they currently sit seventh in the table.
Players to watch: West Ham fans will be hoping for another masterclass from Jarrod Bowen, who has scored 13 of his last 14 goals at home. Meanwhile, Diogo Jota has scored a brace in his last two games and will be looking for more. Interestingly, Luis Suarez in December 2013 was the last Liverpool player to score two or more goals in three consecutive PL games.
Standout Fact: West Ham are one of three teams in the PL this season that have yet to experience a 0-0 draw.
West Ham – Liverpool : Betting Tips
Liverpool – Win Odds: 2.25
